A cross-section of prominent Dominicans within and outside the country has condemned the arrest and detention of Dr. Thomson Fontaine. Notable voices such as Lennox Linton, Dr. Gabriel Christian, Justice Irving Andre, Dr. Dale Dangleben and several others call for Fontaine’s release and that all charges against him should be dropped.
The former IMF official and economic adviser to the government of South Sudan was arrested on Saturday, April 23, after he landed at the Melville Hall Airport. He was charged with jumping bail in 2018 and failing to appear in court on charges of public incitement and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged alongside Lennox Linton, former PM Edison James, and current Speaker Joseph Isaac.
Back in 2018, Fontaine was represented by Gideon Richards and the government attorney was Israel Khan, a Trinidadian. The judge was Magistrate Asquith Riviere.
Following his arrest, US-based attorney Gabriel Christian said Fontaine ought not to be arrested when everyone is sueing for peace to reign in Dominica. He said the economist’s arrest and possible prosecution undermines democracy and dignity of human persons. He also called on all Dominicans to rise up for Fontaine’s defence, saying nothing should be spared to secure his freedom.
Opposition Leader Lennox Linton said the 2018 incitement case against Fontaine and others has not been meaningful and has not resulted to anything over the years since. He said the magistrate in charge of the case even “recused herself with no reason” to indicate that there was nothing meaningful in continuing to pursue the charges. He said Fontaine’s arrest was politically motivated and an infringement of his rights.
A Pennsylvania, US-based trauma surgeon, Dr. Dale Dangleben, called Fontaine his former teacher and friend. He said the economist had done a lot for the country and should not be repaid with a senseless charge that cannot stand up to legal scrutiny. He expressed worries that Fontaine’s arrest is a violation of his human rights and that nothing untoward must happen to him while in police detention.
Justice Irving Andre also weighed in on the development, saying the police should have invited the economist for questioning rather than arresting him at the airport. He said the fact that Fontaine is an outspoken critic of the DLP administration makes his arrest questionable and a travesty of justice. “Do we have a system that works very efficiently and expeditiously when it involves, someone who is known to be an opponent of the political directorate?” he asked.
This article is copyright © 2022 DOM767
